From the moment he began speaking, Jesus laid out an agenda that was political—especially in Luke’s gospel.
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,” he read from Isaiah in the synagogue in Nazareth, “because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor” (Luke 4:18-19).
Jesus’ list is full of politically dangerous assignments.
The work of Jesus has always been about more than otherworldly salvation. It is about creating a just world here and now. It’s about level playing fields and a redefined society. It is about breaking people out of oppression and allowing them to claim the power of God at work—within and through them.
It is about freedom to leave our brokenness at the forgiving feet of Christ, to live as a community of equals under God, to be who we are meant to be.
This message is adapted from “Faith reflections: Jesus’ political agenda” written by Collette Broady Grund that first appeared in the October 2015 issue of Café magazine.